Clinical Trial

Mitch and I flew out to Bethesda, Maryland at the end of January to be a part of a clinical trial being done at the National Institute of Health for NPC patients. They are testing a supplement called N-Acetylcysteine or NAC which has been shown to be a potent antioxidant, detoxify the liver and aid in post exercise recovery in healthy people. In NPC patients, the hope is that it will help fight damage from oxidative stress on the cellular level and protect the liver from further damage.

Right now Mitch is in the middle of the first phase, he is recieving a tablet three times a day. We don't know if he is getting the placebo or the actual supplement. Each phase is 8 weeks and because it is such a short time we probably won't see much change physically. We are doing blood draws every two weeks and mailing them back to NIH for analysis. In phase two he will get the opposite of what he is getting now. Its a small step, but the fact that there is some research being done for a treatment and being a part of it keeps us hopeful.

On a lighter note, we took Mitch to Las Vegas last week for his 21st birthday. We had a good time and initiated him to gambling!(but no drinking!!!)